TRICARE’s Debt Collection Assistance Officer (DCAO) program

DCAOs are located at Health Plan East Region office and military hospitals or clinics to assist TRICARE beneficiaries in determining the validity of collection agent claims and/or negative credit reports received for debts incurred as a result of receiving healthcare under the TRICARE program (“healthcare” includes medical and adjunctive dental care under TRICARE).

DCAOs cannot provide beneficiaries with legal advice or fix their credit ratings, but DCAOs can help beneficiaries through the debt-collection process by providing documentation for the collection or credit reporting agency in explaining the debt-inducing circumstances. View the DCAO directory

Beneficiaries must take or submit documentation associated with a collection action or adverse credit rating to the DCAO (e.g., debt collection letters, TRICARE EOBs and healthcare bills from providers).The more information the beneficiary provides, the less time it will take to determine the cause of the problem.

The DCAO will research the beneficiary’s claim with the appropriate claims processor or other agency points of contact and provide the beneficiary with a written resolution to the collection problem. The DCAO will notify the collection agency that action is being taken to resolve the issue.